Authors Looking directly for Readers discussion

I know it sounds crazy, but everyone's different, and no matter how good it is, not everyone is going to simply love your book.

I personally discovered this horrifying fact relatively recently. I won't name any names, but there were a couple of reviewers who weren’t exactly fans of my main character, Melody Jackson. One person even HATED her!! (I know, right.)

Since I have received many glowing and fantastic reviews, most of them loving Melody and her quirky but occasional admittedly surly antics, I, of course, assumed this to be some sort of literary terrorism. Perhaps an attack by hired mercenaries by some shadowy group of non-fiction writers.

Nope! Sadly it was just human nature. Everyone's different, and no two people like the same things. This is a horrifying fact which is important to realize as soon as possible in your writing career.

Here's some simple points to follow when this inevitably happens to you:

(*) Do not take this personally: Chances are this reviewer doesn’t know you in real life, and has no vendetta against you. This is not a personal attack. It’s an honest review, which is what you were looking for in the first place, right?

(*) Whatever you do, do NOT take the low road: It's always best to be as classy as possible in these situations. Always thank the reviewer for their time, because they certainly took time out of their lives to read it -- which may have been especially arduous for them since they didn’t care for it. Keep in mind, you entered this contract for an honest review, and simply giving someone a "free copy" of your book doesn't require them to give you 5-Stars and fourteen thumbs up.

(*) Don't argue with the reviewer: This will not change their mind, and you will only end up with a bad reputation and no one will want to review your books ever again.

I help this helps and eases some pains.

What do you all think?

BMB�

I think that this is the best advice to follow for authors looking for their books to be reviewed. I have no personal experience with disgruntled authors when I ruffle their feathers, but I do have two sisters who both have different opinions (and when we try to get each other to see how great this book is we argue and release the dogs of war, not a pretty sight). We have learned to not force our own opinions on each other but we do listen to each others opinions, civilly, of course. We respect that the other person found a book amazing while the other found it less than satisfactory. If one likes the book, they'll read it over and over repetitiously , while the other will probably never read it again. What I think of the guide lines BMB has so graciously compiled for the topic of our discussion, is that: 1. You should not let their review get under your skin (often times reviews offer constructive criticism, or they offer their honest, raw, unedited opinion). 2. They read the book so you should at least be nice to them (if you're not at least civil to them they won't like you at all and probably shy away from any of your future books). and 3. Arguing is a waste of time, not to mention it does get annoying after a while (arguing never changes peoples minds, it just makes them even more stubborn and set it their ways than before).

It's one thing to deal with a reader who doesn't like your book or has a different opinion. It's another when someone gets angry because of your book or states that they have been "betrayed" (yes, someone used that term) because of your writing. In any case, you need to accept that many will not like your writing, but there are a few crazies out there who will take it a step further. That's when you have to bite your tongue and just let them live their crazy life.

Very good advice B.M.B.

My personal rules to live by when it comes to reviews is that I never reply on sites like Goodreads/Amazon/etc, not even for a good review. Responding to all the reviews except the bad ones can be just as malicious as speaking out directly to that bad review. Therefore, I don't hit 'like' and I don't respond on public sites.

However, if I specifically asked for the review and they have posted it on a personal site, that is where I will thank them, no matter the state of the review. I will thank them for their time and their honest review of the work, and will privately (by email) welcome them to contact me any time. Just because they did not like that book, does not mean a bridge has been burned. If you prove you are a rational and kind human being, they will most likely be open to further contact. After all, reviewers need advertisement too, and so if I can push readers their way, it's great for other authors.

Always be kind to your reviewers. Hell, be kind to everyone. ;)

I think that a review can show many things. It an encourage a writer to examine the way their ideas are received by others. It can also show how much a reviewer actually knows about the story they may -- or may not -- have read.

What fascinates me about bad reviews is not the review directly. Rather, I'm amazed at how diligent a reviewer can be about posting them! A person who says a book "stirs their soul" will hardly boy to post a review to reflect that elation. However, a person with a visceral dislike for a book will take the time to broadcast that dislike everywhere God sends! LOL

Quite a while back, I did receive an unfavorable 2-star review for Lost Girl (Book One of The Lost Trilogy). The reader was disappointed because there weren't enough detailed character descriptions (clothing, etc.). I like to give just enough of that and leave the rest up for imagination. But I suppose some people would rather have the picture painted for them. My point is that not every story touches every reader. So I didn't let the review bother me. Instead, I took the reviewer's comments into consideration when going forward with my writing. I didn't change my style to be overly descriptive or paint pictures for lazy minds, but what I did do was to weave a few more sensory elements into my stories. It made for better writing!

Wanted to comment in a separate post about another review Lost Girl received just recently. The reviewer accused me of copyright infringement (based on the TV series Lost Girl) due to the title. As everyone knows, titles don't fall under a copyright. The reviewer also stated that she was disappointed because the book was nothing like the show, so she had to put book two aside.

Well. Guess what? I hadn't yet published book 2! Based on her comments, it was clear that she had posted a review for another Lost Girl title on Amazon under my Lost Girl. *There are several Lost Girl titles, one belonging to a series.

I never respond to reviews, but in this case, felt the need to do so, because the review was not for my work. The reviewer never apologized, retracted the hateful review, or posted it to the proper book title. Some people are morons. That's their problem. I didn't worry about it after I informed her that she had posted her "review" under the wrong title. *There was no "Verified Purchase" either. But I was glad to see that more of my readers stepped in and commented on the bogus review and also voted it as "Not Helpful."

Sometimes we just have to do a little damage control.

As a reviewer, I have had to give unsatisfactory reviews. One man never spoke to me again and didn't even share my interview with him.
Another woman, when I pointed out that choice phrases she used could've been misconstrued to be bigoted, wrote me a long, scathing email in return.
Something authors need to remember is that, if People Magazine or the NYT Reviews reviewed you, you couldn't email them and tell them they're wrong. You'd have to deal with the fact that not everyone likes your book. Ot doesn't mean that the book is bad, just that it's not universal.
I rarely give bad reviews, as every book seems to have a redeeming quality. It's just about being gracious even in the jaws of defeat. One bad review won't deter readers!

I agree, Kelly. A bad review doesn't deter readers. As an author, I greatly appreciate the time a reader takes to comment. Hopefully, my situation above, where the reader/reviewer posted a bad review under the wrong title, doesn't happen often.

But in the sense of fairness, if a review (good or bad) was not meant for my work, I'm obliged to let the readers know there's an error here. What action they take, if any, with that information is up to them. In my case, some of my readers were actually irritated at the reviewer's carelessness and commented accordingly.

Reviewers have an obligation, too. It's okay to post a point of view (good or bad), that's why we have free speech. But if a reviewer puts it out there, she needs to make sure she's posting it under the right work. Otherwise, her credibility is pretty much shot.